Record Review: Dum Dum Girls

Anyone who ever said heartbreak was a bad thing hasn’t heard Only in Dreams, the latest offering from Dum Dum Girls. The album laments on a relationship gone sour and consequentially launches the group far out of “sophomore slump” territory. Opener “Always Looking” pulls back a curtain on a clearer, more realized version of the band that manifests in singer Dee Dee Penny’s up-front-and-center approach to singing: a surfier, gentler six-string section and a drummer who is keeping time with purpose. It’s hardly a surprise coming from returning co-producer Richard Gottehrer – he got Blondie on the right track and is one of the guys who penned “My Boyfriend’s Back.”

LISTEN NOW: “Coming Down”

Diverging from the muddled, noisy path set on 2010’s I Will Be, everything about the band cleans up nicely. It’s like the moment in She’s All That when Laney takes off her glasses and unfurls her hair from a ponytail, only Dum Dum Girls are shedding distracting feedback and muddy production. Only in Dreams will have casual listeners turning their heads for a second listen and going “day-um!” (Sub Pop)